Attachment for skis



B. KAUFMANN ATTACHMENT -Fo'R sKIs Y June 23, 1942.

Filed April 30, 1940 Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHMENT FOR SKIS Berthold Kaufmann, Great Neck, N. Y.

Application April 30, 1940, Serial No. 332,425

1 Claim.

The object of the present invention is to provide an appliance which is adapted for ready ailxing to skis and which will facilitate climbing. When proceeding uphill on skis great difriculty is encountered and much effort is used to overcome slipping of the skis on frozen ground. The attachment of wax, fur strips, or devices having wooden ribs or the like does not solve the diiculty because of inherent defects in such elements, these diculties being overl come in the present invention.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing an embodiment of the invention at each of two areas of a ski, dotted lines showing the outline of a ski shoe.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken through 20 vided with the usual shoe straps, 2, 2x, at a 30 central area thereof. Attached to the ski are two of my attachments.

My attachment may be made from Wood, metal or any other suitable material and may approximate the width of the ski, the form of the attachment shown in the drawing beingl somewhat less in width than the ski. The body piece 3 of the attachment may be of any desired length as, for example, from four to ten inches and longer, if desired. The body piece is mounted with bristles which may be about one-half inch of exposed length, more or less. These bristles may consist of any suitable material having the general characteristic now to be described and the bristles are preferably distributed in small or larger tufts or bundles as indicated in the drawing at 4 and can be arranged in various distances and directions with more or less open spaces.

The bristles 4 are preferably closely massed, 50

and the assembly possesses a unique characteristic in the operation of the attachment in that their action prevents the retention of any packed snow suiiicient to impair the operativeness of (Cl. 28o-11.13)

because the bristles have a springy action so that when the weight of a skier is thrown upon the ski and thence upon the bristles, they are flexed, and when the ski is lifted by the foot of the skier the bristles spring back to initial position, this movement dislodging and tending to free the bristle area from particles of snow. The bristles may be of any suitable material and are preferably resistant to penetration by moisture. Thus plastics made into bristle-like forms, as well as other synthetic bristle materials, natural bristle materials, and metallic bristle materials, may be employed.

As indicated in the drawing each of the attachments will carry means for aiiixing the attachment to the ski. Any suitable readily-detachable means for this purpose may be employed. In the drawing each attachment carries two straps 5, each strap being provided with a buckle 6 and strap loop 1 (Figure 4) of any conventional or suitable form. For securing the ends of the straps heavy snap fasteners or other securing means may be substituted for the buckle arrangement.

The climbing attachment enables steady rhythm, the springy bristles biting into the snow and preventing sliding on the uphill grades, and when the climbing is completed the attachment members may quickly be removed from the skis. They take up very little room when packed into a container of clothv provided with a zipper or other closure, they are very much cheaper than skins, which are expensive in good quality, and they will not suffer in any kind of weather, whereas the skins stretch when subjected to moisture, and after return from skiing skins have a tendency to get hard when being dried which makes them difficult to use on the following day. Furthermore, animal skins, especially seal skins, are expensive and deteriorate or are destroyed in summertime from moths or other insects. But more important, the hair of skin strips, such'las seal skins, does not possess the pressure resistant and springy characteristic present in the bristle structure of my invention which tends to prevent accumulation of snow and which enables the retention of the bristles in straight lines depending from the lower face of the body member.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

In combination with a ski, a climbing attachment comprising two body members having a the attachment. This characteristic is present Vhat upper face adapted to directly contact with,

skier and the ability to spring back to initial position upon release of said weight, and means attaching each body member to the lower face of a ski in such manner that the body members are secured forwardly and rearwardly of the central foot supporting area of the ski.

BERTHOLD KAUFMANN. 

